Edge of the Abyss
a novel
by Andrei Livadny
Respawn Trials
Book#1
Magic Dome Books
Respawn Trials
Book # 1: Edge of the Abyss
Copyright © Andrei Livadny 2019
Cover Art © Vladimir Manyukhin 2019
English translation copyright © Sofia Gutkin 2019
Published by Magic Dome Books, 2019
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 978-80-7619-019-1
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the shop and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is entirely a work of fiction.
Any correlation with real people or events is coincidental.
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Table of Contents:
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
About the Author
The Legend of the Guardians states:
One who is pure of heart and desperately needs help, will always receive it.
Chapter One
THE UNEXPECTED phone call came late in the evening. I was still awake and answered at once. “Hey. What’s going on?”
My nephew and I got along quite well, although he hadn’t called or visited as often over the last few years. He was all grown up, with his own life now.
He said hello and then proceeded to breathe heavily into the phone without even asking after my health.
“Denis, why don’t you get to the point?”
“I need your help.”
“Tell me,” I said and limped over to the window. The street was obscured by an autumn drizzle. The edge of the metropolis had crept right up to the village and the low clouds were snagging on the tips of the rising skyscrapers. The old house that I had inherited from my parents would soon be slated for demolition, and there was nothing I could do about it.
“I’ve been invited to join an expedition. For three months. Somebody needs to keep an eye on the apartment... I’ve also found a side job, you see, a pretty good one. I don’t want to lose it.”
“Any more details? Where’s the expedition heading to? What kind of job? Of course, it’s no trouble for me to water the plants and feed the cat.”
“I don’t have a cat, you know that! The work’s simple, from home. Nothing heavy. You’ll fix your health up, too.”
“Interesting. What kind of side job provides medical treatments as well?” I smiled distrustfully.
“I can’t explain in two words. Can you come over?”
“What, right now?”
“Yes. I’m short on time. I kept dragging it out, hoping to find someone else to replace me, but it didn’t work out. I’ll call you an air taxi right now and pay for it. Will you help me out? My flight to Irkutsk leaves in three hours.”
“Fine. We’ll talk when I get there.”
“Thank you! See you soon.” He disconnected at once, probably to avoid any additional questions.
Denis had graduated from university the year before last. He had majored in Geology but, unfortunately, rapidly developing technology had made his profession redundant. All the corners of the globe were being carefully watched from orbit and the search for mineral resources was performed using powerful computers and scanners. The same thing had happened in many fields of human activity. Of course, machines weren’t capable of completely replacing us, but they were faster and more effective at solving highly specialized problems.
In summary, Denis couldn’t find a job in his field and for him to receive an invitation to join an expedition was an unmissable chance to launch his career.
* * *
My nephew’s small rental apartment was located on the 102nd floor of an enormous living complex. As I ascended in the high-speed elevator, my ears became blocked several times from the change in pressure.
“Hi, come on in!” Denis was clearly happy to see me. “I didn’t interrupt any of your plans, did I?”
“Oh, what plans?” I waved him away. “What sort of expedition are you going on?”
“A private one.” He replied vaguely. “If everything goes well, they’re promising to employ me as per my specialization. I simply couldn’t miss a chance like this.”
“Why didn’t you call me earlier?” I sat down in an armchair and looked around. The modern apartments are fully automated. All the furniture is inbuilt so there are no separate rooms. The required piece of furniture comes out of the wall or descends from the ceiling. It’s called ‘transformable space’ but I think it looks empty and uninviting.
The only thing that stood out in Denis’ apartment was a VR capsule made from dark tinted plastic, through which I could see the twinkling of indicator lights. It stood on a massive base and was slightly tilted, about 30 degrees relative to the floor. I’d seen such devices before. They were being heavily advertised over the last few years.
“You see, everything was only decided last night!”
“Okay. What’s the side job? What exactly would I need to help you with?”
“Are you familiar with virtual reality?”
“Computer games, you mean?” I raised an eyebrow. “I played them in my youth.”
Denis shook his head reproachfully. “Man, you’ve really fallen behind the times,” he said and touched a sensor. Something hissed in the wall, a recess opened and a tray with two disposable cups extended towards us. I didn’t touch mine — coffee this late in the evening was a bit over the top.
“Computer games are the ancient past. They’ve been replaced by full-scale virtual reality. It’s basically an endless world where you can live.”
“Live?” I smiled skeptically. Truth be told, I had heard something similar but had not taken it seriously.
“You’ll understand if you try it yourself,” Denis looked at me with obvious hope.
“Where’s the capsule from? It costs a lot of money, right?”
“I took out a loan and I’m paying it off little-by-little.”
“I thought you couldn’t find a job?”
“Yeah, so this is my job,” he touched the convex side of the VR capsule. “Two to three hours a day and it’s enough to live on.”
“And what do you do in there?”
“I perform various tasks. They’re quite simple. I’ve left a brief description of what you’ll need to do. Have a read of the instructions file, I’ve set it up so that it will automatically download as soon as you... well, I mean, my character, will enter the game. Help me out, please? I’ve got nobody else to ask! Here’s the access chip to my account. The automated system in the VR capsule will adjust all the necessary settings. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about, it’s all completely safe. The system will fine-tune your body at the same time. The life support system inside is top notch.”
“Fine,” I glanced at my old-fashioned analog watch that I wore out of habit. “Your plane leaves in an hour. You’re not going to miss it?”
* * *
Once I was alone, I sat back down in the armchair and took a sip of cold coffee. My sleep had evaporated anyway. I glanced at the VR capsule with some alarm. I wasn’t against progress but I also wasn’t a slave to the latest gadgets. Everyone had heard about virtual reality, of course, it was all they spoke about on the spherovision these days, but I’ve always been skeptical about this kind of information. I reckoned all the fuss was just advertising for these very expensive ‘immersion’ devices. Honestly, how could anything replace real life?
I’d been through the Asian Conflict and had been wounded twice, once seriously. After several years spent in hospitals, I was forced to retire. Yes, I had fallen behind the times. My brother — Denis’ father — was working on the Mars Project and was currently about thirty million kilometers away from Earth, on his way to the Red Planet. As far as I understood, VR capsule technology was first developed for long-distance space flights and only later adapted for commercial use.
The doubts, wariness and a growing sense of curiosity made me skim through the instructions.
It seemed quite easy. Finishing off the cold coffee, I undressed and caught my reflection in the smoky plastic of the VR capsule. What was I waiting for? It’s not like I was leaping into the line of fire.
A familiar chill formed in my chest. Seriously? Could I be afraid?
The motors hissed softly. Two segments moved apart and down, sliding along the sides of the capsule. The interior reminded me of a solarium. The bed looked firm, with a block with lots of openings at its head.
I climbed inside and lay down. It was uncomfortable. How do people put up with this for several hours?
The first impression turned out to be false. The hard surface suddenly changed its properties, becoming pliable and conforming to my shape, as if I was sinking into a thick, gel-like mass.
A sharp hiss came from the head of the bed. Ten flexible servocontrollers suddenly shot out of the openings and wrapped themselves around my body. I felt the touch of numerous sensors, the sharp, almost painful prickling over my temples and back of the head. I jerked automatically and tried to sit up but the cords held me tightly. The outer segments slid back into place, cutting off the light. A spicy scent sent my mind to sleep in a few seconds.
My eyelids felt heavy. A belated panic flashed through my thoughts. Denis never mentioned anything like this. He didn’t really tell me anything!
…
Physical data does not match the last account records.
Bioscanning will commence and VR capsule parameters will be adjusted.
Please wait.
…
My muscles twitched involuntarily. There were occasional flashes of pain. The tingling in my temples turned into stinging.
…
Testing is complete.
Life support parameters have been adjusted.
Feedback (immersion) level has been reduced to 25%.
Please note, you perceive fewer sensations and receive less experience at low feedback levels.
You can always increase the sensory level above recommended but you are responsible for the consequences (see item 213.2 of the User Agreement).
Welcome to the Edge of the Abyss virtual reality!
…
I was expecting anything but birdsong and simply froze in the first moment due to emotional shock.
The view from the town wall was incredible. I was surrounded by the predawn light, the rough stone was cool under my hand and the respawn circle glinted around me, but it was the birdsong, once so familiar and then completely forgotten, that pierced me to my core. It was as realistic as if I had been transported back to my childhood.
The air was clean. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves and carried the scent of freshly mown grass.
It’s hard to explain the gamut of emotions that I felt. My surroundings didn’t feel fake. Digital reality had exceeded all my expectations.
I took deep breaths. The meadows, groves and scattered hills, the floodplain covered in morning fog — the whole landscape bewitched me.
I didn’t hear the footsteps and didn’t even notice the shadow until a sharp blade touched my throat and I heard a whisper, “Don’t move or I might accidentally cut you.”
My reflexes would have probably kicked in in the real world. I would have broken the jerk’s arm, but I unexpectedly felt completely helpless here and stood still, my eyes bulging.
“Three seconds. You’re free.”
I turned around. A young guy stood behind me, dressed all in black.
“Don’t get aggro,” he said quite conciliatory. “I’m leveling up my Stealth skill. Why’d you freeze? Are you lagging?”
I didn’t understand a word of what he’d said.
“Contact tech support,” the guy suggested and disappeared, melting into the shadows as if he’d never been there.
The respawn circle (located on the fortress tower) lit up with a string of unfamiliar symbols and the figure of a well-built warrior appeared among the flickering glow. His armor was splattered with blood. Ignoring me, he rapidly headed to the stone steps leading downstairs.
“How come you’re so early today?” A guard stopped beside me. He held a torch in one hand, while the other rested on the pommel of his sword.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I answered automatically.
“Remember our agreement? You owe me five coins by this evening.”
I wanted to ask, ‘what do I owe you money for?’ but then stopped myself. I didn’t know what Denis did in this world. He had left me very sparse instructions.
“What if I don’t manage to get so many?”
“Then you won’t enter the town at night,” the guard snapped back. “If you can’t pay, make sure to finish your business before sunset!”
“Sure, I will.” There was no point in arguing. I had to figure it all out first. I strongly disliked his dismissive tone, however, and the scornful way he had said ‘business’.
“That’s better.”
The respawn circle lit up again. An attractive young elven woman appeared.
Elusive_Wetta. Light Elf. Detective, Level 29.
“Hi, Dan,” she nodded to me like to an old friend. “So, you’re stuck in the sandbox? Still working as a mule?”
I simply shrugged, unsure of how to answer.
“Well, cheer up. One day you’ll save up enough for a normal account and then you’ll be able to play properly, instead of running errands for those assholes.”
She left and I turned back to examine the town.
Anchor. Capital of this province. Location status: safe.
A small castle rose in the center of the hill. T
wo defensive walls encircled it below, while one- and two-story houses formed quarters, divided by twisting streets.
I descended the stone stairs, proceeded down the street to the nearest square and looked around. The traders’ stalls were still closed. Time here seemed to match the time in the real world.
To avoid drawing the attention of the occasional pedestrians, I sat down on the worn front steps of a building and tried to call up the interface.
I succeeded after a few attempts.
…
Dan_23214, Human race, Warrior class.
Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 1
